P14

As said by others, in today's world, extensive custom work on a P14 or M1917 rifle is a money vacuum.

The cracking of the reciever ring. Well wouldn't that be nasty. Square threads - always require cutting them on a lathe with the correct change gears. If you ever do square threads, the lowest possible speed has to be chosen. Special measures have to be taken to minimize chatter. No chattermarks are acceptable. Take careful calculations checked against the removed barrel to determine the correct root diameter of the thread. Stop when you reach the correct depth of cut of your single point tool. If you trial fit the male threaded workpiece into your receiver and it does not fit, try carefully backing off, or advancing the toolpost cross slide longitudinally to 'widen' the cut. Do not plunge deeper beyond the root diameter. Once the barrel thread starts on to the reciever you are almost there.

I never threaded a barrel from a blank but it is a fussy exacting job with no do overs, unless you can cut the ruined barrel threads off and try again.

It is a bit more than plain old manual machinist work.

This is an aspect of toolmaking - machinist work that does not lend itself well at all to 3d printing or tabletop cnc. Well maybe a bit with the latter.

Of course installing iron sights comes last. Indexing and timing the fitment of open sights has been done for centuries through entirely manual means. You can do it with a vertical mill. But most cranks don't have access to these luxuries.

Farming out the barrel change may have to be done, meaning a long term project for most poor boys. You might be better off buying a barrelled action that is a few steps into such a project, likely from a person like yourself who is cutting their losses and moving on.

With the current ugly political climate time gets ever more precious and costly.
 
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A p14 is plenty strong for 7.62x54r.
True, and then some. It wasnt uncommon to see P17s have the original barrel reamed out to 300wm. My old century centurion (that i wish i had never sold) was just such a rifle, bolt face opened up, chamber reamed to 300wm, and new mag body.
 
If anyone is interested in a M1917 based sporting rifle, Accuracy Plus in Peterborough ON has one of the BSA sported rifles. .30-06. Receiver is contoured, drilled and tapped for aperture sight and scope bases. Bore is reported as "good". The hard work on the receiver is done. $299.
They also have a P-14, military barreled action in sported stock. $199.
 
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